What is a hormone and how does it affect the target cell?
An animal hormone (Grhormaein, to set in motion or to spur on) is a chemical signal that is secreted into body fluids, most often into the blood, by specialized cells called endocrine’ cells or by specialized nerve cells called neurosecretory cells. Neurosurgery cells are neurons that receive signals from other nerve cells and respond by releasing hormones into body fluids or into a storage organ from which hormones are released at a later time. Although a hormone may reach all parts of the body. only certain types of cells, the target cells, are equipped to respond by definition. a target cell has receptors to which chemicals messengers either selectively binds or on which they have an effect. Thus a given hormone traveling in the bloodstream elicits specific responses a change in metabolism for example from selected target cells while other cell types ignore that particular hormone, hormones are very potent regulators they are effective in minute amounts.Even a slight change in a hormone s concentration can have a significant impact on the body. Fig. 3.2.
Figure 3-2
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